Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-09
THE SEA SERPENT.
Adirondack Murray Solves It with the
Aid of a Good Field Glass.

| Adirondack Murray Solves It with the
Aid of Good Field Glass.
". II. Fl. Murray has solved the sea
serpent mystery of Lake Champlain, and
his solution viii perhaps apply to many
| along shore mysteries of the same sort.
He writes as follows
'Going to my front door last Friday
morning found many people, with more
or less excitement, looking at the lake
l asked a teamster opposite my door what
was the cause Of it. he replied that the
sea serpent was in the bay. 1 said:
Have you seen him" He replied that
he had, and that it had only Just sunk
from view, and would soon probably
reappear. The words were hardly uttered
before he pointed frantically toward the
lake, and said: There he is! There ne isr'
and sure enough right in front of me, not
two miles away, the lake being scarcely
rippled, the air clear as plate glass, be-
held the sea serpent, and l must say that
the spectacle was truly most startling
one. In my wanderings l have CHANGED
20 see some strange things and had cause
to note some of the deceits that naturescan
practice on the senses, but / am free to
say that l never saw on land or sea an ap-
pearance more startling than / saw in
Burlington bay in front Of my house last
Friday morning. The appearance has
been many times described with a fair
degree OF accuracy. In length the serpent
seemed at.least 100 feet longer than canal
boat would at that distance. Its color
was at times Of slaty brown, and at
others it seemed to be glistening white,
Like the scales Of shad. It's motion was
undulatory, and a kind Of quivering its
whole length characterized it. 1t moved
with astonishing rapidity toward the
north, and when it was showing the full
length OF its appearance it sank from
sight.
This is plain account Of the sea ser
pent as l saw it. The deceit was perfect.
The coolest observer and the most skepti-
cal would have been perfectly convinced
that his eyes had beheld a marine mon
ster. have field glass Of great value,
and, thinking that tho serpent would ap-
pear again, stepped quickly to where it
hangs in the hall and adjusted the lenses
for the distance. A lady's hand at the
acquired range would show its fingers
plainly. The first thought of incredulity,
rs l stood gazing at it before took my
glass, arose from the fact of the exceeding
rapidity with which it was moving. No
body, l said to myself, could ever
move through the water as fast as that |
thing was going. I had hardly reached |
the veranda again when the cry rang along |
the street, There he Isl There he is !
again! and, sure enough, there was the |
serpent once more, white and shiny, NOV |
ing with immense rapidity, with the same |
peculiar vibrating motion. / brought nv |
glass to bear upon it instantly, and the
mystery was that instant solved. The
sea monster resolved itself into |
several hundreds of small birds of the |
ploTer family, flying in a long line, which |
swung down and TO the right or left as
they flew. The under side Of their wings
ana breasts was snowy white; their backs
we're slaty brown. When in the
onS or short curvings Of their flight,
hey were flying at such an angle as re-
CARDS the gazer that the under side of
heir wings and breasts were seen. the |
serpent, long and white, appeared When
hey took some slant at another asgle,
md their backs aud upper side Of their
wings were turned toward the gazer, the
White line faded out and the monster
eemed to sink from view. The culver
ng and vibrating motions Of the monster
we're thus explained. The quick futter
Il their little wings, in long line ex-
ended, the gradual swoop up and down
their flight, made the appearance per-
ect. The immense speed Of the serpent
Fas accounted for, his motion being the |
notion Of quick winged birds cleaving the |
II, and not Of an aquatic monster rush
ng through the water
mat this true account and perfect
olution OF the Champlain sea serpent the
ooHc may believe, for had not only the
Pportunty 20 see one sea serpent that
corning, but l saw three at the same in
.ant; one rounding Bluff Point, one {
oout mile cut heading to join it, and | :
MOTHER north of Juniper Island; and so l
leak with the certainty of one W ho knows | +
'hereof he afiirlns. But the appearance $
a most deceitful one, and with the IN :
SISTED eye its real nature cannot be dis :
rned - |